3.5 Hour Oil Change for $125

When the rains come to Lusaka, one should expect everything in life to take a little bit longer.  On the one hand, rains are such a blessing to a parched land that hasn’t received one drop for the better part of six months.  But on the other hand many Zambians dread the rainy season – because of the mud, homes leaking and getting flooded, not to mention all the standing water in the streets that can easily swallow up your car.  It’s the time of year that delays are expected and commonplace.

So, when I left for work this morning I thought I was prepared for whatever inconveniences Zambia might bring.  I badly needed an oil change, so as I passed by Zambia’s premier auto store – AutoWorld.  I pulled in to the 6 bay mega-auto-parts dealership before 8:30 and talked to customer service.  They told me that an oil change would take 30 minutes.  AutoWorld has a nice lounge area for customers so I thought I would sit and read for a bit.

Well, I waited…..and waited……and waited. When I went to check on oil change progress after one hour had passed, I found my diesel Toyota Prado with the oil drained, the fuel filter off, and the oil filter off.  “We have a problem boss”, said the customer rep, “our oil filters are out of stock.”  I was then told to catch some “rest” up in the lounge and that they would come get me after they located one.  The plan was to have the parts guy bring the correct filter from another AutoWorld downtown.  It was supposed to take 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, as hour 2 passed, I started growing restless.  Finally, at 11:30 the oil filter was delivered.  It took them all of  15 minutes to finish the job.  But then came the bill….560,000 ZMK ($125).  The oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and oil came to $100 and the labor was $25.  Needless to say, I left AutoWorld at noon in a foul mood.  There’s nothing like African customer service… it’s something I’ll never get used to.